Lukla airport

About 2,845 m at the airstrip, compared with about 2,860 m for Lukla town, the stop marked on our trek route. The airport and the town are different reference points.

You will also see 2,846 m for the airport. Wikipedia’s current infobox gives that figure while its facilities text gives 2,845 m; older CAAN planning material also prints the higher figure. Treat the airport height as approximate.

The airport is in Solukhumbu district, Nepal. Its passenger-booking code is LUA; VNLK is its aviation code. Both names refer to the same airstrip.

CAAN’s Civil Aviation Report gives an asphalt runway 527 m long and 30 m wide, with a 11.7% slope. It serves small aircraft designed for short take-offs and landings, as well as helicopters.

Some sources, including JICA’s aviation survey, give a width of 20 m. We use the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s figure with its attribution. The short, sloping runway and surrounding mountains help explain the demanding approach; they do not give a traveller a reliable crash probability.

The airport was built in 1964 under Edmund Hillary’s supervision, paved in 2001, and renamed in 2008 for Tenzing Norgay and Hillary, the first two people to reach Everest’s summit.

From Kathmandu, the flight to Lukla takes about 30 to 35 minutes. In busy seasons most flights use Manthali airport instead, which adds a road journey from Kathmandu.

Manthali is in Ramechhap district, so “Ramechhap to Lukla” means the same departure. The drive is about 132 km and takes 4 to 6 hours, usually before dawn.

CAAN decides each season which airport the Lukla flights use. Ask us to confirm your airport and transfer before booking onward travel. The guide to getting to Everest Base Camp covers the whole journey.

Cloud, wind and changing visibility can stop flights at Lukla. A clear morning in Kathmandu does not mean the weather at the mountain airstrip is suitable for flying.

Keep spare days between the trek and an international flight, and ask us how many to allow for your dates. A delay may affect the walk in as well as the return. This guide cannot tell you whether the airport is open today; your airline and guide need to confirm that on the day.

Before paying, ask what happens to your booking if the flight is cancelled, and who pays for a change of route or a helicopter. Weather can also affect helicopters, so an alternative flight cannot be promised.

From Lukla you start walking up the valley. Our Everest Base Camp trek sleeps at Phakding on the first night, then climbs to Namche Bazaar on day 2.

You enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo on the way to Namche. The Everest Base Camp trek distance and days guide has the plan; the trek cost and permits guide explains the separate national park and municipal permissions.